This invention relates to a method of displaying a document with an image of, for example, a photo or a memo of a meeting, or in particular, to a method of displaying a document with an image to which the information such as a comment, a symbol or a pattern can be added.
A conventional technique is known, wherein an image of a photo of a landscape or a person, a photo of a memo written on a blackboard at a meeting or a photo taken of a map (hereinafter referred to as “the base image”) is held at the terminal of one user and accessed by and displayed on the terminal of another user, and wherein in order to give an opinion on this base image, for example, a comment is input at this terminal so that any user can acquire and display the base image and the comment.
In an example of this technique, a text, a table or a pattern is used as the base image, and the user displays the text, for example, and generates a comment required for the text, while at the same time designating, with a cursor or the like, the position at which the comment is added to the text. Then, the add position information and the comment are related to each other and registered in a comment file. Also, assume that the text is displayed and a predetermined position thereof designated. In the case where comments corresponding to the designated position are registered in the comment file, a list of the comments is read from the comment file and displayed, so that the desired one of the comments is selected by the user from the list and displayed on a display unit. As a result, the user, by designating the desired position in the text on display, can view the comment on the content of the text at the designated position thereof. Incidentally, any comment at the designated position of the text, which is not registered in the text file, is not read from the comment file and the process is ended (see, for example, JP-A-2002-108898).
According to the technique described in JP-A-2002-108898, the comment on the base image can be input in a manner related to a predetermined position of the comment on the particular base image. Nevertheless, by designating the position, a list of comments related to the particular position are read and displayed, and the desired comment is displayed by being selected from the list. In order to view a comment at the predetermined position of the base image, therefore, the operation of designating the particular position and selecting the desired comment from the comment list is required. Also, while the comment is displayed, the base image is not displayed, and therefore, it is difficult to positively confirm the relation between the comment on display and the base image.
Further, it is unknown to the user whether the comment exists at an intended position or not, as long as the particular position is not designated. In the absence of a comment, no comment is displayed by the designating operation wastefully.